Khobragade case: Government withdraws ID cards of US consular staff

Decides to take 'firm reciprocal steps' following end of deadline for surrender of identity cards

With the deadline it had given at an end, the government on Tuesday withdrew the identity cards of all US government consular staff, in the backdrop of a raging diplomatic row on the arrest of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade in New York on December 12.

The new cards to be provided in place of the withdrawn ones would be “exact replicas of cards provided to Indian consulate officials in the US”, sources said.

These new cards will be given only to US embassy officials and not to their family members, as was the earlier practice. Family members of Indian consulate officials in the US are not provided such cards.

Officials said this will ensure “strict reciprocity” in the matter.

Also, US consular staff will be permitted to only import their requirements during the first six months of assuming office, as is provided in the Vienna Convention for Consular Relations.  Previously, they were allowed to import these requirements over a three-year period.

India on Tuesday also said the freeze on import of liquor and food would remain. The government is also believed to be “analysing and assessing” steps to be taken regarding US schools in the country and how the teaching staff will be handled.

The government maintained that in taking certain measures concerning the traffic arrangements in front of the US embassy here, it had not compromised on security. “Changes have been made in traffic movement patterns. No changes have been made in security status of the US embassy in New Delhi and the security personnel remain deployed at check posts there,” a source added.

Khobragade, a 1999-batch IFS officer and deputy consul-general, was arrested by the New York Police Department on visa fraud charges and for allegedly paying her housekeeper, Sangeeta Richard, less than the minimum pay there. Khobragade was allegedly handcuffed and also subjected to a cavity search. She was later released  on a $250,000 bail and denied making any false claims, while accusing Richard of extortion, theft and blackmail.